Getty Center: "We Are OK Up Here"

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - As flames continue to burn dangerously close to the Getty Center, Lisa Lapin, their Vice President of Communications remains optimistic.

"We are OK up here. The Getty Center is safe."

Lisa spoke to Suzanne Marques and DeMarco Morgan on the phone Monday morning and talked about the various precautions that the museum takes for this type of event.

"We store millions of gallons of water up on the hill. We do brush clearance all around our property and of course the architecture is stone. The roof is stone, so we don't have an issue with embers and our landscaping is intended to be fireproof."

In addition to several exhibitions currently featured, including one with works from the celebrated Impressionist, Manet, the $1.3 billion facility houses collections of artwork, sculptures and manuscripts dating back to 1600.

In case of fire, those collections are insulated from smoke. "We can seal off our ventilation system so that no smoke gets in," said Lapin. "So, everything is well protected up here, but we do have a lot of land and open space all around the property. The fire is right now licking the fringes of that land."

The Getty Center sits on a hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains, just off the 405 Freeway.